2008 Rice Owls football preview

Rice Owls

2007 Record: (3-9, 3-6 C-USA)
Coach: David Bailiff (3-9 at Rice, 24-24 overall)

Starters Returning: 15 (8 offense, 6 defense, 1 specialist)

Offensive Starters Lost: WR Joel Armstrong, OL Lute Barber, OL Robby Heos.

Offensive Starters Returning: WR Jarett Dillard, LT Scott Mitchell, C Austin Wilkinson, RG David Berken, TE Taylor Wardlow, QB Chase Clement, TB Justin Hill, WR Toren Dixon.

Defensive Starters Lost: RT Lute Barber, NG George Chukwu, DB Justin Abt, DB Gary Anderson.

Defensive Starters Returning: DE Scott Solomon, DE Cheta Ozougwu, LB Brian Raines, FS Andrew Sendejo, CB Brandon King, CB Joseph Leary

Starting Specialists Lost: P Luke Juist

Starting Specialists Returning: K Clark Fangmeier

2008 Rice Football Overview

How can a team whose offense scored a school record 377 points manage to win only three games? The answer is not complicated: pair that record setting offense with the worst defense in C-USA.

Therein lies the key to the Owl’s prospects in 2008. The offense returns virtually intact, so if the defense can rise to the middle of the pack, Rice could be a bowl team. It is that simple.

Head coach David Bailiff, entering his second year at Rice, believes this mission can be accomplished.

"At times, I thought the defense showed just how much it has improved. You saw some extremely hard, violent tackles. And you saw the offense at times look like the big play, quick-strike offense that we want to become." David Bailiff said after the Owl’s spring scrimmage.

Rice fans can only hope their coach is right.

2008 Rice Owls Offense:

The 2007 Rice offense re-wrote the school's record book, breaking nearly 40 school records. The Owls smashed their season and single-game records for passing attempts, completions, passing yards, touchdown passes and first downs, as well as the season mark for total offense. Rice returns players who were responsible for 371 of their school-record 377 points scored last season. Departed senior WR Joel Armstrongis the only Owl to score in 2007 who is not returning for 2008.

There may not be a better offensive tandem in C-USA than QB Chase Clement and WR Jarrett Dillard. The seniors are the focal point of the Owl’s passing game.

Clement broke 18 school records last season, finishing the year with 3,377 yards passing and 6,741career total offensive yards. He threw 29 touchdowns passes and ran for eight more scores. Clement became the first player in NCAA history to record consecutive games with over 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing, accomplishing this milestone against both UTEP and SMU.

Dillard topped 1,000 yards for the second straight season, finishing with 1,057 on 79 receptions. He led C-USA in touchdown catches for the second straight season, hauling in 14. He currently has 40 career TD catches, making him just the eighth player in NCAA history to reach that mark. He needs just 10 TDs this year to tie the NCAA career mark. Dillard is also the active career leader in catches, yardage and TDs heading into 2008.

TE James Casey was named to The Sporting News second team freshman All-American team. He was second on the Owls this past season with 46 catches for 585 yards and four touchdowns.

Rice's biggest challenge is to energize a moribund rushing attack. Junior TB C.J. Ugokwe looked good in the spring, and Justin Hill has breakaway speed. All the ingredients are there, but the coaching staff must make more of a commitment to the ground game.

The offensive line is solid with LT Scott Mitchell, C Austin Wilkinson and RG David Berken. Jimmy Miller will take over at LG and Preston Thompson will start at RT. Freshmen like Jake Hicks and Tyler Parish will add talent to the group and should push for playing time.

2008 Rice Defense:

There is some good news about the 2008 Rice defense: there is no way to go but up. The Owls ranked dead last in C-USA last season as the thin defense was plagued by injuries. This unit will have to improve for Rice to increase its win total.

Sophomore DE Scott Solomon, who registered three sacks in the spring scrimmage, along with LB Brian Raines and S Andrew Sendejo, are playmakers who could make this unit respectable.

Solomon is joined on the defensive line by NG Chris Ptaszek, who is the strongest man on the team. DT Cameron Thompson weighs in at 290 and is very quick. DE Cheta Ozougwu was slowed by injuries this spring, but should be good to go by fall.

The secondary has an explosive group of safeties returning, led by Sendejo and Bencil Smith coming back from injury. Rice is thin at the corners, so former SS Joseph Leary will move to the position.

2008 Rice Special Teams

The Owls are set at placekicker with junior Clark Fangmeier. The former walk-on has an accurate leg. But Rice must replace P Luke Juist. Freshman Kyle Martens is one possibility.

DB Ja'Corey Shepherd returned kickoffs and punts last season, but didn't wow in either category. Backup RB Tyler Smith (21.8 yards per kickoff return) is a more attractive option on kickoffs.

2008 Rice Analysis & Outlook

The Owls are going to score points. If they develop more of a ground game to relieve some of the pressure from the passing attack, it is not inconceivable that this group could top the 400 point mark. Clements will break the few remaining school records he does not already hold and Dillard should become the NCAA’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions.

As prolific as the offense will be, it is all for naught without marked improvement on the defensive side of the ball. It appears this much-maligned might have undergone something of an attitude adjustment this spring.

"I feel the defense has made great strides," LB Brian Raines was quoted as saying. "I think everybody’s starting to understand what we’re trying to do in this defense. We’ve got a great offense, and this spring the defense has looked pretty good against those guys, so I’m pretty excited about things."

If Raines optimism is founded on fact, and the Rice defense has improved, the Owls will be bowling this holiday season.